Microsoft Corp today praised Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., for his anti-counterfeiting amendments, which would close a significant gap in federal protection of copyrighted works including software. Biden's proposed bill amends Title 18, Section 2318, of the U.S. Code by expanding the scope of the law, in part, by making the possession or distribution of stolen authentication features a crime. "Microsoft commends Senator Biden for taking action to close a significant gap in the federal protection of copyrighted works," said Jeff Raikes, group vice president of Productivity and Business Services at Microsoft. "The software industry alone loses approximately $12 billion annually to software piracy and counterfeiting, which takes a detrimental toll on the legitimate marketplace and the economy. We applaud Senator Biden's leadership to improve existing law to help stem this problem. The proposed legislation is essential for law enforcement to be able to effectively combat the proliferation of counterfeiting activities involving computer software, motion pictures and other audiovisual works."